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Posted By Teresa Redder, on December 3rd, 2025 “This is the King of the Jews.”
As I prayed over what reflection to share for the Solemnity of Christ the King, I could hear a song playing in my head that the Sacred Heart School students have sung at their monthly Masses: The King Shall Come (#70 in our parish hymnal). There is something so hope-filled and prayerful in the words of this song. It bothered me, though, that it was in the Advent section of our hymnal.
While on a Franciscan retreat (November 3-12) to Assisi, Italy, during which we spent nine days reflecting on the Journey into God by St. Bonaventure, my husband Jeff and I joined 30 other pilgrims from the US, Canada, England, Germany, and the Philippines to appreciate how contemplation leads us to God, the Summum Bonum (Highest Good).
On our fourth day together, our retreat leaders asked the group: How does the outside enter us? This was an important spiritual question for those whose desire was to be a lover of God. As we considered that question, we had help from St. Bonaventure regarding three powers of the psyche that are relational:
- Memory → eternity (the image of God);
- Intellect → Truth (meaning of words, sentences, logical conclusions);
- Will → Highest Good (deliberate, judge, desire).
In this chapter, St. Bonaventure wrote, “The function of the memory is to retain and represent not only things that are present, physical, and temporal, but also things that are successive, simple, and everlasting. Memory holds past things by recall, present things by reception, and future things by anticipation.” After reading that, I knew that the song I was hearing was meant for this reflection.
What does our memory tell us about our image of God? Do we understand who Christ the King is and where His Kingdom exists? Do we anticipate the coming of our King by remembering what Christ promised to us?
In this weekend’s first reading, we remember how David became king of Israel, anointed before the Lord to serve the people. Future prophets would later foretell that the Messiah would come from the royal line of David. The Jewish people held that hope in their memory. When Jesus came, though, it was not in the way people would imagine their King would come.
In the song The King Shall Come, the composer Trevor Thomson gives us a song about the King who has already been with us, but told us that He was returning. How are the faithful waiting and longing for that return? Do we see signs of the King in our midst?
The King shall come when morning dawns
and light triumphant breaks,
When beauty gilds the eastern hills
and life to joy awakes.
Not, as of old, a little child,
to bear, and fight, and die,
but crowned with glory like the sun that lights the morning sky.
This weekend’s Gospel account by St. Luke looks at the kingship of Christ through the lens of the Cross. Who would ever expect their king to be crucified by their oppressors? Part of the mockery that Jesus endured was to have the sign above His cross that said, “This is the King of the Jews.” For the people who journeyed with Jesus, this present situation challenged their memory. Nobody yet knew what was to come. One of the criminals that was executed with Jesus did understand it, though, and he asked Jesus to remember him when He entered into His Kingdom. Jesus promised Him that he would be with Him in paradise.
Through the Sacred Scriptures, our memory is able to recall the birth of Christ, the proclamation of the Kingdom, and the Passion of Christ. They are significant past events that shape our faith and our desire to know Christ better.
The people of God today live in much different circumstances than when Jesus preached the Good News. Technology continues to advance rapidly, sometimes with harmful effects on people. Major conflicts continue to erupt in the world that cause great human suffering. Seeing the face of Christ in our midst, a present memory, remains a challenge for all Christians because it requires the full embrace of the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love.
The criminal who put his faith in Christ trusted that His Kingdom truly existed. Through memory, we know that the death of Jesus was not the end. The resurrection of Jesus was the King’s glory, witnessed by many people. How beautiful, then, is verse 2 of the song for those who believe and hope for the King:
O brighter than the rising morn
when He, victorious, rose
and left the lonesome place of death,
despite the rage of foes.
O brighter than that glorious morn
shall this fair morning be,
when Christ, our King, in beauty comes,
and we His face shall see!
Memory teaches us that the desire for God is something that should be with us daily, shaping our prayer life and our choices to think and act. This weekend, let us sing confidently…
“Come quickly, King of kings! Come quickly, King of kings!
The King Shall Come – Lyrics Video
May God bless our Advent with longing, joy, and hope for what we see and what we await!
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
Saint Katharine Drexel Regional Minister
Posted By Teresa Redder, on December 3rd, 2025 St. Katherine Drexel Regional Fraternity
Regional Spiritual Assistant
St. Francis of Assisi Friary
1901 Prior Road
Wilmington, Delaware 19809
tel: (302) 798-1454 fax: (302) 798-3360 website: skdsfo email: pppgusa@gmail.com
December 2025
O admirable heights and sublime lowliness! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity!
That the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God,
so humbles Himself that for our salvation
He hides Himself under the little form of bread!
Look, brothers, at the humility of God and pour out your hearts before Him!
Humble yourselves, as well, that you may be exalted by Him.
Therefore, hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves
so that He Who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally.
Daily reminders from the sources are from the Assisi Compilation #82-#84
Quotes for each day from the works of C.S.Lewis
83 – BROTHER ELIAS AND CARDINAL HUGOLINO ASK HIM TO ACCEPT MEDICAL HELP HE COMPOSES THE CANTICLE OF BROTHER SUN AT SAN DAMIANO
1 – The Bishop of Ostia, who later became the apostolic bishop, seeing how blessed Francis was always severe with his body, and especially because he was rapidly losing his eyesight because he refused to have himself treated, admonished him with great kindness and compassion.
– You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.
2 – He told him: “Brother, you do not do well in not allowing yourself to be helped with your eye disease, for your health and your life are of great value not only to yourself but also to others.
– When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.
3 – If you have compassion for your sick brothers, and have always been and still are merciful to them, you must not be cruel to yourself in such a serious and manifest need and illness. I therefore order you to allow yourself to be helped and treated.”
– Life with God is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties.
4 – Likewise, two years before his death, while he was already very sick, especially from the eye disease, he was staying at San Damiano in a little cell made of mats. The general minister, seeing and considering how tormented he was with the eye disease, ordered him to let himself be treated and helped.
– Don’t shine so that others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see HIM.
5 – He also told him that he wanted to be present when the doctor began the treatment, especially so that he could more effectively arrange for him to be cared for and comforted, since he was suffering a great deal from it. At that time it was very cold, and the weather was not conducive to treatment.
– Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.
6 – Blessed Francis lay there for more than fifty days, and was unable to bear the light of the sun during the day or the light of a fire at night. He stayed in the dark in the house, inside that little cell. In addition, day and night he had great pains in his eyes so that at night he could scarcely rest or sleep. This was very harmful and was a serious aggravation for his eye disease and his other illnesses.
– Hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny.
7 – Sometimes he did want to rest and sleep, but there were many mice in the house and in the little cell made of mats where he was lying, in one part of the house. They were running around him, and even over him, and would not let him sleep.
– Once people stop believing in God, the problem is not that they will believe in nothing; rather, the problem is that they will believe anything.
8 – They even disturbed him greatly at the time of prayer. They bothered him not only at night, but also during the day, even climbing up on his table when he was eating, so much so that his companions, and he himself, considered it a temptation of the devil, which it was.
– Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
9 – One night as blessed Francis was reflecting on all the troubles he was enduring, he was moved by piety for himself. Lord,” he said to himself, “make haste to help me in my illnesses, so that I may be able to bear them patiently.” And suddenly he was told in spirit: “Tell me, brother, what if, in exchange for your illnesses and troubles, someone were to give you a treasure?
– If you never take risks, you’ll never accomplish great things. Everybody dies, but not everyone has lived.
10 – And it would be so great and precious that, even if the whole earth were changed to pure gold, all stones to precious stones, and all water to balsam, you would still judge and hold all these things as nothing, as if they were earth, stones and water, in comparison to the great and precious treasure which was given you. Wouldn’t you greatly rejoice?”
– There is someone that I love even though I don’t approve of what he does. There is someone I accept though some of his thoughts and actions revolt me. There is someone I forgive though he hurts the people I love the most. That person is……me.
11 – “Lord,” blessed Francis answered, “this treasure would indeed be great, worth seeking, very precious, greatly lovable, and desirable.” “Then, brother,” he was told, “be glad and rejoice in your illnesses and troubles, because as of now, you are as secure as if you were already in my kingdom.”
– I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
12 – The next morning on rising, he said to his companions: “If the emperor were to give a whole kingdom to one of his servants, shouldn’t he greatly rejoice? But, what if it were the whole empire, wouldn’t he rejoice even more?” And he said to them: “I must rejoice greatly in my illnesses and troubles and be consoled in the Lord, giving thanks always to God the Father, to His only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the Holy Spirit for such a great grace and blessing.
– The greatest evils in the world will not be carried out by men with guns, but by men in suits sitting behind desks
13 – In His mercy He has given me, His unworthy little servant still living in the flesh, the promise of His kingdom. “Therefore for His praise, for our consolation and for the edification of our neighbor, I want to write a new Praise of the Lord for his creatures, which we use every day, and without which we cannot live.
– The fact that our heart yearns for something Earth can’t supply is proof that Heaven must be our home.
14 – Through them the human race greatly offends the Creator, and every day we are ungrateful for such great graces, because we do not praise, as we should, our Creator and the Giver of all good.” Sitting down, he began to meditate and then said: “Most High, all-powerful, good Lord.”
– One of the most cowardly things ordinary people do is to shut their eyes to facts.
15 – He composed a melody for these words and taught it to his companions so they could repeat it. For his spirit was then in such sweetness and consolation, that he wanted to send for Brother Pacifico, who in the world was called “The King of Verses,” and was a very courtly master of singers.
– Evil comes from the ABUSE of free will.
16 – He wanted to give him a few good and spiritual brothers to go through the world preaching and praising God. He said that he wanted one of them who knew how to preach, first to preach to the people. After the sermon, they were to sing the Praises of the Lord as minstrels of the Lord.
– Don’t judge a man by where he is, because you don’t know how far he has come.
17 – After the praises, he wanted the preacher to tell the people: “We are minstrels of the Lord, and this is what we want as payment: that you live in true penance.” He used to say: “What are the servants of God if not His minstrels, who must move people’s hearts and lift them up to spiritual joy?”
– If nothing in this world satisfies me, perhaps it is because I was made for another world.
18 – And he said this especially to the Lesser Brothers, who had been given to the people for their salvation. The Praises of the Lord that he composed, that is, “Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,” he called “The Canticle of Brother Sun,” who is more beautiful than all other creatures and can be most closely compared to God.
– The most dangerous ideas in a society are not the ones being argued, but the ones that are assumed.
19 – He used to say: “At dawn, when the sun rises, everyone should praise God, who created it, because through it the eyes are lighted by day. And in the evening, when it becomes night, everyone should praise God for another creature, Brother Fire, because through it the eyes are lighted at night.“
– If you live for the next world, you get this one in the deal; but if you live only for this world, you lose them both.
20 – He said: “For we are all like blind people, and the Lord lights up our eyes through these two creatures. Because of this, we must always praise the glorious Creator for these and for His other creatures which we use every day.” He did this and continued to do this gladly, whether he was healthy or sick.
– God allows us to experience the low points of life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn in no other way.
21 – And he encouraged others to praise the Lord. Indeed, when his illness grew more serious, he himself began to say the Praises of the Lord, and afterwards had his companions sing it, so that reflecting on the praise of the Lord, he could forget the sharpness of his pains and illnesses. He did this until the day of his death.
– Love is never wasted, for its value does not rest upon reciprocity.
84 – HE MAKES PEACE BETWEEN THE BISHOP AND MAYOR OF ASSISI, ADDING A VERSE TO THE CANTICLE
22 – At that same time when he lay sick, the bishop of the city of Assisi at the time excommunicated the podestà. In return, the man who was then podestà was enraged, and had this proclamation announced, loud and clear, throughout the city of Assisi: no one was to sell or buy anything from the bishop, or to draw up any legal document with him. And so they thoroughly hated each another.
– Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different.
23 – Although very ill, blessed Francis was moved by piety for them, especially since there was no one, religious or secular, who was intervening for peace and harmony between them. He said to his companions: “It is a great shame for you, servants of God, that the bishop and the podestà hate one another in this way, and that there is no one intervening for peace and harmony between them.”
– We must stop regarding unpleasant or unexpected things as interruptions of real life. The truth is that interruptions are real life.
24 – And so, for that reason, he composed one verse for the Praises: Praised be by You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love, and bear infirmity and tribulation. Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned.
– You don’t have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.
25 – Afterwards he called one of his companions and told him: “Go to the podestà and, on my behalf, tell him to go to the bishop’s residence together with the city’s magistrates and bring with him as many others as he can.”
– Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.
26 – And when the brother had gone, he said to two of his other companions: “Go and sing the Canticle of Brother Sun before the bishop, the podestà, and the others who are with them. I trust in the Lord that He will humble their hearts and they will make peace with each other and return to their earlier friendship and love.”
– There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.
27 – When they had all gathered in the piazza inside the cloister of the bishop’s residence, the two brothers rose and one of them said: “In his illness, blessed Francis wrote the Praises of the Lord for His creatures, for His praise and the edification of his neighbor. He asks you, then, to listen to them with great devotion.” And so, they began to sing and recite to them.
– To love at all is to be vulnerable
28 – And immediately the podestà stood up and, folding his arms and hands with great devotion, he listened intently, even with tears, as if to the Gospel of the Lord. For he had a great faith and devotion toward blessed Francis. When the Praises of the Lord were ended, the podestà said to everyone: “I tell you the truth, not only do I forgive the lord bishop, whom I must have as my lord, but I would even forgive one who killed my brother or my son.”
– Atheists express their rage against God although in their view He does not exist.
29 – And so he cast himself at the lord bishop’s feet, telling him: “Look, I am ready to make amends to you for everything, as it pleases you, for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ and of his servant, blessed Francis.” Taking him by the hands, the bishop stood up and said to him: “Because of my office humility is expected of me, but because I am naturally prone to anger, you must forgive me.” And so, with great kindness and love they embraced and kissed each other.
– Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
30 – And the brothers marveled greatly, considering the holiness of blessed Francis, that what he had foretold about peace and harmony between them had been fulfilled, to the letter. All the others who were present and heard it took it for a great miracle, crediting it to the merits of blessed Francis, that the Lord had so quickly visited them, and that without recalling anything that had been said, they returned to such harmony from such scandal.
– I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.
31 – Therefore we who were with blessed Francis bear witness that always whenever he would predict “such-and-such a thing is or will be this way,” it happened almost to the letter. We have seen with our own eyes what would be too long to write down or recount. – God doesn’t want something from us. He simply wants us.
– I gave in, and admitted that God was God.
Posted By Terri Leone, on September 21st, 2025 Song of Reconciliation is a letter from the 4 Franciscan Ministers General to the whole Franciscan Family for instruction & reflection on the Canticle of Creatures.
 “The Canticle of Creatures is a song of praise & Reconciliation.” “It summarizes Francis’ view of God and the world; creatures and human beings; himself and the Most High God.” In the “Conclusion” of this letter the Ministers General provide us with numerous “Admonitions” or “Challenges”; refer to the following list.
Admonitions or Challenges
- Joyfully celebrate this 8th centenary of the Canticle
- Make the Poverello’s clear and prophetic gaze your own
- Recognize God’s imprint in every creature
- Live the call to universal fraternity by embracing all of creation – animate and inanimate
- Rediscover the beauty of being pilgrims & strangers
- Become custodians, not masters, of creation
- Become brothers and sisters of every living thing
- Become artisans of Peace and Forgiveness
- Live vulnerability as openness to others
- Integrate death into the great mystery of life
- Welcome every reality – from the brightest to the darkest within an experience of praise and restitution
- Live and promote: no lives are meaningless; no creatures are voiceless; no situations are outside of Divine Compassion
- Everything is embraced by our Father’s tenderness; everything/everyone is an occasion for praise
- See beyond appearances; grasp the dignity and beauty of all
- Become like Francis:
- Become Singers of Reconciliation and Hope
- Become Re-kindlers of Child-like Wonder
- Become Givers of Thanksgiving
- Become Caregivers of our Common Home
Please read the whole Song of Reconciliation. Go back and meditate/ponder each part individually. Let the message be totally absorbed into your being – who you become as you continue your spiritual journey – your pilgrimage to eternal happiness with the Trinity.
Posted By Teresa Redder, on September 9th, 2025 JOYFUL GOSPEL LIVING
“We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You…”
Typically, the Gospel acclamation is a verse from Scripture, proclaimed in song by the cantor. This weekend, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Although the feast’s Gospel acclamation is not a verse from Scripture, it is very familiar to Catholics in our Stations of the Cross.
This little prayer is an enduring legacy of St. Francis of Assisi, whose three loves of Christ were the Crib in Bethlehem; the Cross; and Communion. As penitents, St. Francis taught his followers to say this prayer whenever they entered any church:
“We adore You, O Lord Jesus Christ,
here and in all the churches of the world,
and we bless You,
because by Your holy Cross,
You have redeemed the world.”
For many people, the Hallow application for portable electronic devices has become a powerful daily prayer tool, with so many ways to connect with God in podcasts, Scripture reflections, study guides, trivia games, meditative music, and many other spiritual delights. This year, Hallow offered the 40-day St. Michael’s Lent, a period of prayer and fasting that began on the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and will conclude on the feast of St. Michael the Archangel on September 29th. It was during a retreat like this on Mount La Verna in Tuscany in 1224 that St. Francis received the stigmata on this weekend’s feast day.
Because of his great love of prayer in solitude, St. Francis patterned his life by the example of the self-emptying (kenosis) Christ on the Cross. Besides his active evangelical ministry, he deliberately withdrew throughout the year to pray and fast with Christ.
During our Franciscan study pilgrimage in 2019, my husband Jeff and I visited Lago (Lake) Trasimeno, the largest lake in Italy, where St. Francis spent the Lent of 1211 in solitude on Isola Maggiore, praying and fasting from Ash Wednesday until Holy Thursday. The Little Flowers of Saint Francis (7) records that the man who rowed him to the island and back was amazed that St. Francis took with him only two loaves of bread; he returned with one and a half loaves!
In our Pilgrim’s Companion to Franciscan Places, there was a challenging spiritual reflection:
“Lago Trasimeno reminds us of one of the main tenets of Francis’ spirituality: the call to a life of penance. Penance for Francis meant total conversion to God. His experience on the island concretizes this focus for us. Here we can also challenge ourselves to the mystery of fasting:
- What fills us up?
- What fills our hearts?
- What kind of fasting is necessary in our lives so that God becomes greater and idols become less?
- How is our spiritual life bound up with the liturgical year?”
On September 1st, the Church commenced the celebration of the ecumenical Season of Creation (SOC), which will conclude on the feast of St. Francis (October 4th). The theme for this year is “Peace with Creation.” It coincides with the Franciscan family’s observance of the 800th anniversary of the Canticle of the Creatures, a hymn of praise written in the Umbrian dialect by St. Francis just before his death. What are we doing to give praise to our Creator? How does our lifestyle bring about a more just society that respects all of God’s Creation?
In his message for the 10th World Day of Prayer for Creation (September 1st), Pope Leo XIV wrote:
“Now is the time to follow words with deeds. ‘Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience’ (Laudato Si’, 217). By working with love and perseverance, we can sow many seeds of justice and thus contribute to the growth of peace and the renewal of hope. It may well take years for this plant to bear its first fruits, years that, for their part, involve an entire ecosystem made up of continuity, fidelity, cooperation and love, especially if that love mirrors the Lord’s own self-sacrificing Love.”
Next Sunday (9/21), the United Nations observes the International Day of Peace: Act Now for a Peaceful World. How appropriate that this celebration occurs during the SOC! As Christians celebrate the 1500th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, the SOC Celebration Guide 2025 noted:
“In our troubled, unequal, and divided world, we are strengthened by the confession of faith and by the ecumenical communion established in Nicaea to follow Isaiah’s call and stand firm in our witness for God’s promise of peace for all Creation. Therefore, in the face of conflicts and strife, let us proclaim God’s promise: ‘The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.’ (Isaiah 32:17)”
Christ invited all of us to take up our crosses and follow Him. That invitation does not have an assurance that it will be easy. Rather, Jesus told His followers in the Beatitudes that they would be blessed when they were persecuted or insulted by wicked people.
The Gospel reminds us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” This treasured Scripture quote inspires gratitude for a love revealed on the Cross by our Savior. Our adoration for Christ then has certitude as we knowingly and deliberately follow Him:
“…because by Your Cross, You have redeemed the world.”
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
Saint Katharine Drexel Regional Minister
Posted By Teresa Redder, on March 16th, 2025 SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
“My brothers and sisters…stand firm in the Lord.”
 Whenever my husband Jeff and I have been on pilgrimages to other countries, we have had the privilege to meet many priests and religious who serve in the foreign missions. When Jesus shared the Good News with His first followers, He expected them to go out to all the world and share what they had seen and heard. In their limited understanding of the world at that time, though, those first disciples were limited by geographical borders that were known mainly by trade routes or conquests. So much of the world was still waiting to be explored!
Why was St. Paul compelled to tell the Philippians to “stand firm in the Lord”? Even in their time, people living ordinary lives in common society had to be reminded that people of faith, whose minds were occupied with earthly things, are citizens of heaven. During our Lenten journey, is our daily prayer helping us to stand firm in the Lord?
During our pilgrimages, the missionaries that we met shared many stories of their compassionate encounters with people in developing countries: education, health care, maternity services, cooperative projects for sustainability, and trauma relief for those who had seen great violence and destruction. In our Lenten experiences, most of us are safe from harm, comfortable with our food, clothing, and shelter, and far away from those who are suffering. A good question to ask ourselves during Lent: How does Catholic social teaching on solidarity shape our almsgiving? Do we hear the cry of the poor when they are suffering?
Before Ash Wednesday, I was on a special Zoom call hosted by the Franciscan Sisters of Philadelphia in Aston, PA. Their guest speaker was a staff member of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), who spoke about the need to continue funding programs that provide care all over the world. After the speaker’s opening remarks, we shared questions and comments. One of the elderly religious sisters (who participated on that call from Africa after midnight!) was a 30-year missionary to Kenya, where she had been working faithfully in AIDS ministry to children. Because of CRS support, she told us with gratitude that they no longer had any children who passed away due to AIDS. She was concerned about what would happen there when their current supplies of medicine are expended and there is no additional funding to obtain medicines.
Motivated by this Zoom call, the Franciscan Sisters’ Care for Creation Committee voted unanimously to focus the community’s Lenten almsgiving on the CRS Rice Bowl project. I visited the CRS website to see what kind of new insights were there for donors to appreciate the challenges better. The CRS Mission Statement resonates with the Gospel’s message of transfiguration:
“Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We are motivated by the Gospel of Jesus Christ to cherish, preserve and uphold the sacredness and dignity of all human life, foster charity and justice, and embody Catholic social and moral teaching.”
On the CRS home page, I found a special link that was posted on March 5th:
CRS’ Rice Bowl Program Celebrates 50 Years of Global Hunger Reduction | CRS
I can still remember the joy that our family had when our four adult children were growing up to fill the CRS Rice Bowl together during our Lenten journey.
As I thought about the Franciscan sisters, who take a vow of poverty, live in service to others, and made this a special Lenten priority because the need in the world is greater now than ever, I thought about God promising Abram that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars in the heavens. So many centuries later, his descendants (Jewish, Christian, and Muslim) number in the billions and live on five continents! Yet CRS reminds us that we must urgently take care of many of these brothers and sisters who need our compassion and generosity:
“According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, more than 580 million people could be chronically undernourished in 2030 – just five years away – if the trajectory is left unchecked. Elevated hunger levels are quickly becoming the new normal, causing long-term and generational harm to children, families and communities. More than 340 million people around the world are currently facing some level of food insecurity, with nearly 2 million facing catastrophic hunger – primarily in Gaza and Sudan. Many of these food crises involve overlapping issues that increase year after year.”
We can inspire our children and grandchildren to stand firm in our world that is too often preoccupied by earthly distractions by taking less than two minutes to watch this YouTube video about the CRS Rice Bowl’s history:
https://youtu.be/5QoPVNxKEGE
It is so easy to stand firm in solidarity with the poor:
Online: crsricebowl.org/give
Phone: 877-435-7277 (8 AM-11 PM ET) for CRS Rice Bowl
Mail (Please write “CRS Rice Bowl” on memo line of check):
Catholic Relief Services (Attn: CRS Rice Bowl)
P.O. Box 5200
Harlan, IA 51593-0700
May this CRS Prayer shape our Lenten desires:
“Jesus, Bread of Life, as we encounter You in the Eucharist this Lent, nourish us with Your love, unite us in communion with our sisters and brothers, showing us how we are connected. Transform [transfigure] our hearts, that we may be moved to share bread for life with our global family and work for a world where all can thrive. AMEN.”
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
Saint Katharine Drexel Regional Minister
Posted By Teresa Redder, on February 16th, 2025 JOYFUL GOSPEL LIVING – FEBRUARY 16, 2025
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
“Blessed are you…”
Bronze Sculpture “Angels Unaware” by Timothy Schmalz
Installed in St Peter’s Square (Vatican City – Rome, Italy) on September 29, 2019 (105th World Day of Migrants & Refugees)
My parish is very blessed to have a large and active Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) ministering in our local community. Through the actions of many dedicated volunteers and generous donors, SVDP provides temporary and ongoing assistance to families who experience many challenges with critical food supplies, affordable housing, and basic needs for survival. This ministry is a mutual blessing–to the guests who come for aid and to those volunteers who are a Christ-like presence of solidarity to them..
This weekend, our Scripture readings remind us that we are called to live a God-centered life. When we completely place our trust in God, we are truly alive. Our daily experiences are transformed because we see things differently. We become aware of the blessings in our midst. This awareness then fills us with gratitude while re-ordering what we value in life.
Because we are in the liturgical cycle of the Gospel of St. Luke, Jesus offers us four blessings (“Be-Attitudes”) and four woes in this weekend’s Gospel, promising that those who are poor, hungry, weeping, hated, and insulted will rejoice and be glad. God notices those people with great love and attention, and He bestows blessings upon them. Alternatively, the woes are a caution for those who may not be paying attention to the needs around them.
The Beatitudes are the blueprint for the Church’s teachings on social justice. There are seven themes to Catholic Social Teaching, all based on the Church’s understanding of human life and human dignity. They play a central role in shaping pastoral priorities throughout the Church—for the rich and the poor alike.
On February 20th, the United Nations will mark the World Day of Social Justice. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has 19 committees that carry out specific mandates in support of its spiritual goals. One of those committees is the International Justice and Peace Committee, led by Bishop Elias Zaidan, Bishop of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon. This committee, focused on social justice, also has eight other diocesan bishops or auxiliary bishops who support this mission:
“Sharing and promoting the social teachings of the Church, especially on global solidarity, human development, human rights, religious freedom, and war and peace.”
When we meet people who experience great need, whether domestic or international, we are called to act with justice and to care for our neighbors with love and mercy (Hint: This is an ancient and enduring message from the Prophet Micah of the Hebrew Scriptures). Sometimes, Christ’s Gospel can put us into conflict with secular or political agendas. From our baptism, though, our sacramental life in the Church sends us forth as disciples (and prophets) on Christ’s mission to build the Kingdom of God here and now.
A link on the USCCB’s Justice and Peace website calls Catholic disciples on mission to put Two Feet of Love in Action. This program was inspired by two encyclicals of Pope Benedict XVI, with a vision of putting Christian charity into daily practices. What does it mean to put two feet in action? It is a deliberate walk of discipleship:
Concerns the social, political, and economic aspects and, above all, the structural dimension of problems and their respective solutions” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, no. 201). We step with this foot when we work to address the root causes of problems facing our communities by advocating for just public policies and helping to change the social structures that contribute to suffering and injustice at home and around the world.
Charitable Works are our “response to immediate needs and specific situations: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for and healing the sick, visiting those in prison, etc.” (Deus Caritas Est, no. 31). We step with the Charitable Works foot when we work to aid or assist others both locally and globally to meet their immediate needs. Examples include engaging in direct service or providing food, clothing, shelter, or monetary assistance to help those in need.
As we hear Jesus’ teaching this weekend, what can we do to be better disciples? First, we need to become better listeners, but with an attitude of listening to the voice of God rather than other voices that may not embrace the Church’s fundamental teachings. We also need to see the world differently with eyes that look for the concealed needs that are waiting for us to notice. To hear and see differently, it helps to pray regularly for God to bless us with understanding hearts (prayer resource from the USCCB website):
Loving Father, open our hearts to hidden realities:
Your love for all people,
Your presence in the community,
Your call to justice and peace.
May the sacraments stir in us
that same love for those with whom we worship
and all members of our human family.
Christ Jesus, help us to imitate Your example:
healing the sick, welcoming the stranger, assisting the poor and vulnerable.
May the sacraments remind us of Your love and self-giving,
which we strive to imitate.
Holy Spirit, make visible to our eyes what is invisible:
Your call to Your people,
Your summons to live our faith daily as witnesses of justice and peace.
May the sacraments move us to engage in love-inspired action that transforms us and the world.
Amen.
As the Jubilee Year 2025 continues, pilgrims of hope are on a shared journey of solidarity and openness to God’s goodness. The responsorial psalm is a great jubilee reminder of how we can walk with two feet:
“Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.”
Peace and all good,
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
Saint Katharine Drexel Regional Minister
Posted By Teresa Redder, on October 4th, 2024 Joyful Gospel Living
“All have one origin.”
 While driving home last week, I passed the historic John Woolman house on Branch Street in Mount Holly, NJ (Burlington County), where a large sign on their picket fence announced that the first Sunday of October was World Quaker Day. Knowing the history of the Quakers in our town and the annual celebration of this event, I checked the internet to see what the 2024 theme was. For their global celebration, the Society of Friends had chosen “Living the Spirit of Ubuntu.” The Zulu word “Ubuntu” declares “I am one because we are one.”
In their weaving document (tapestry) for the celebration, the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) wrote, “Ubuntu is about unity in our diversity. Our diversity is what makes us rich and vibrant: we are all equal and beloved in Christ Jesus.” This keen focus on community was a compelling call to work for justice, finding peace through listening to the stories of others and healing for past injustices.
In his letter to the Hebrews on the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, St. Paul describes the humility of Jesus in taking our human nature, with His willingness to suffer, so that we might learn the way of salvation: “He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, He is not ashamed to call them ‘brothers’ [and ‘sisters’].” On this first Sunday of October, we Catholics can also appreciate the meaning of “Ubuntu” with our Quaker friends, because we all share one origin in God, who made us in the Divine image and loves us unconditionally. This openness to others is the very work of the Holy Spirit in making us one.
Ordinarily, the Church would joyfully celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7th. Sadly, though, this is the second year that this feast day is marred by the ongoing violence in the Holy Land where the Blessed Mother was born and gave birth to our Savior, Jesus Christ. The violence began with an unsuspecting terror attack on Jewish villages that led to death, destruction, and kidnapping of hostages. The war then continued to escalate, as well as in other parts of the world where people long to live “ubuntu.”
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, a Franciscan friar who has ministered in the Holy Land for many years. In his September 26th letter to the faithful of his diocese, the Patriarch made this appeal for unified prayer, knowing that faithful Christians in Gaza and the West Bank have suffered greatly during the difficult months of war and deprivation:
“We too have a duty to commit ourselves to peace, first by preserving our hearts from all feelings of hatred, and instead cherishing the desire for good for everyone. By committing ourselves, each in our own community contexts and in the forms we can, we should support those in need, help those who are personally invested to alleviate the suffering caused by this war, and promote every action of peace, reconciliation, and encounter. Yet we also need to pray, to bring our pain and our desire for peace to God. We need to convert, to do penance, and to implore forgiveness. Therefore, I invite you to a day of prayer, fasting, and penance on October 7th, a date that has become symbolic of the drama that we are experiencing.”
In our daily prayers, we should strive to practice the “Little Way” of St. Théresè of Lisieux, who taught us to be childlike in our relationship with God. Through humility, we open ourselves to trust more fully in God and to allow His grace to penetrate our innermost being. As the Patriarch said so well, we do need to be converted from our self-centered focus and to imagine what God has planned for those who love Him. Just imagine the power of this prayer when people of good will throughout the world put their hearts, minds, and spirits behind the words…
Prayer for peace
Lord our God, Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and Father of all mankind,
Who in the cross of Your Son and through the gift of His own life,
at great cost You wished to destroy the wall of enmity and hostility
that separates peoples and makes us enemies:
Send into our hearts the gift of the Holy Spirit,
that He may purify us from every feeling of violence, hatred and revenge,
enlighten us to understand the irrepressible dignity of every human person,
and inflame us to the point of consumption for a peaceful and reconciled world
in truth and justice, in love and freedom.
Almighty and eternal God,
in Your hands are the hopes of all and the rights of every people:
Assist with Your wisdom those who govern us, so that, with Your help,
they will become sensitive to the sufferings of the poor
and of those who suffer the consequences of violence and war;
may they promote the common good
and lasting peace in our region and throughout the earth.
Virgin Mary, Mother of Hope,
obtain the gift of peace for the Holy Land
that gave birth to you and for the whole world. Amen.
During this October month of the Holy Rosary, let us take time to pray for all those throughout the world who are suffering because of unjust wars, indifference, fear-filled evacuations for their safety, gross human indignities, and senseless loss of loved ones:
“May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives!”
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
October 6, 2024
Posted By Teresa Redder, on June 9th, 2024 Blessings of peace and all good!
On June 9, 2024, Jennifer Drees, OFS (Regional Formation Director) presided at the Chapter of Elections for Blessed Sacrament Fraternity in Whiting, NJ. The ecclesial witness was Br. Noel Danielewicz, OFM Conv, the delegate for Fr. Francis Sariego, OFM Cap.
With great joy, we announce the next Executive Council for this fraternity for the next three years:
| Minister |
Rose Viragh, OFS |
Returning |
| Vice-Minister |
Tiffany Menendez, OFS |
Returning |
| Secretary |
Mira Welnowska, OFS |
Returning |
| Treasurer |
Margaret Garvin, OFS |
Returning |
| Formation Director |
Maureen Fantauzzo, OFS |
Returning |
| Councilor-at-Large |
Theresa Langan, OFS |
Newly Elected |
| Councilor-at-Large |
Frank Wagner, OFS |
Newly Elected |
 
Left to right: Br. Noel Danielewicz, OFM Conv (Ecclesial Witness); Tiffany Menendez, OFS (Vice-Minister); Margaret Garvin, OFS (Treasurer); Rose Viragh, OFS (Minister); Theresa Langan, OFS (Councilor-at-Large); Mira Welnowska, OFS (Secretary); Frank Wagner, OFS (Councilor-at-Large); Maureen Fantauzzo, OFS (Formation Director); and Jennifer Drees, OFS (SKD Regional Formation Director and Election Presider)
May God bless these willing and dedicated servant leaders with the Holy Spirit’s gifts to serve their fraternity and the Secular Franciscan Order with great courage and perseverance! We thank the five members of this fraternity who have returned to Council to serve their brothers and sisters, and we welcome the two new councilors-at-large into their new responsibilities of animating and guiding their fraternity with devotion to the holy Gospel!
Posted By Teresa Redder, on November 25th, 2023 Brothers and sisters,
Jen Drees, OFS (Regional Formation Director) has started monthly “office hours” with local fraternity formation directors. During their Zoom meetings, they have used a prayer resource from the National Fraternity USA website under “Pray with Us/Prayers for Fraternal Life.”
PRAYER-FOR-THE-SERVANT-LEADER
As many fraternities in our region prepare for their Chapters of Election, let us consider making this a part of our personal and communal prayer patterns. The very opening of this prayer is a testament to someone seeking out and desiring to do God’s will:
“Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like Your own.”
Let us always be open to the Holy Spirit to guide and animate us at every level of fraternity!
Peace and all good,
Teresa S. Redder, OFS
St. Katharine Drexel Regional Minister
Posted By Teresa Redder, on August 26th, 2023 Living the Good News
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
In the music issue of our parish hymnal (Today’s Missal), there is a beautiful hymn called “The Jesus Song” (#413). Tom Booth, the composer, based this song on the treasured Jesus Prayer and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. It seems like a simple song at first: two distinct parts that are repeated as a chant. Whenever I hear or sing this song, however, it reminds me of St. Peter affirming to Jesus: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” By singing from the heart, we tell Jesus that we trust in Him.
Earlier this month, my husband Jeff and I hosted a Zoom call for our monthly Franciscan Justice Circle. Each month, our Delaware Valley members choose a theme, and when we gather, we spend an hour in focusing on an important theme and sharing how it affects our lives.
In conjunction with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the Catholic Climate Covenant organized a national conference between June 14th and July 27th with nine webinars. The theme for the conference was “Laudato Si’ and the US Catholic Church: A Conference Series on Our Common Home.” Several of our Circle members participated in these webinars. One of our members thought that the webinar on Ecological Spirituality was worthy of our attention in August, as it offered a spiritual prelude to the Season of Care for Creation (Sept. 1-Oct. 4). The presenter was Sr. Mary Beth Ingham, CSJ (General Superior, Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange).
The purpose of the national conference was to encourage a greater understanding of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform’s seven goals: (1) Response to the Cry of the Poor; (2) Ecological Economics; (3)Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyle; (4) Ecological Education; (5) Ecological Spirituality; (6) Community Resilience and Empowerment; and (7) Response to the Cry of the Earth.
This weekend, we are invited to reflect upon Christ in our lives—the Son of the living God. Where do we find Christ? Do we see God in all Creation? Are we good guardians of God’s Creation? Are we curious about Church teaching on how to care for our common home? If not, how do we get started?
Earlier this summer, the ecumenical Season of Creation website posted planning materials for this year’s celebration. In the introduction to the planning guide, the organizers expressed their vision:
“Each year from September 1 to October 4, the Christian family unites for this worldwide celebration of prayer and action to protect our common home. As followers of Christ from around the globe, we share a common call to care for creation. We are co-creatures and part of all that God has made. Our wellbeing is interwoven with the wellbeing of the Earth. We rejoice in this opportunity to safeguard our common home and all beings who share it. This year, the theme for the season is ‘Let justice and peace flow.’”
What is ecological spirituality? In order to appreciate its value in our lives, it requires discernment on our part. Like the encyclical Laudato Si’, it asks us to see the connection between care for the Earth and care for the poor—an integral ecology. To live in the spirit of ecological spirituality, we are to respond to Christ’s call to ongoing conversion of heart. Sr. Mary Beth used a quote from St. Francis of Assisi to open our eyes and hearts to the challenges that we face:
“Be conscious… of the wondrous state in which the Lord God has placed you, for He created you and formed you to the image of His beloved Son according to the body, and to His likeness according to the spirit. (Admonition 5)”
From the moment of our Baptism, we are formed into the Body of Christ and become God’s sons and daughters. We witness to the living Christ powerfully through the sacramental action of our Church. When we celebrate the Eucharist as a community, the Word of God and the Eucharist send us into the world with renewed purpose: to bring the light of Christ to the world. Sr. Mary Beth’s Powerpoint slides can be found in their entirety at this link:
“Ecological Spirituality” (PowerPoint Slides)
In the Season of Creation planning guide, there is a section devoted to quotes from ecumenical church leaders about the theme of “Let Justice and Peace Flow.” Each input reflects a deep appreciation for Christ as the Son of the living God. Here is one that invites us to commit our lives to Christ:
“This Season of Creation will be an opportunity to pray, reflect and act together as the People of God for our common home. Like tributaries joining forces to become a mighty river, the ecumenical family will come together on a synodal path of care for our common home through justice and peace.” (Sister Alessandra Smerilli, Secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development)
The responsorial psalm (Ps. 138) is a beautiful acclamation of God’s constant love and presence in His Creation. In his encyclical, Pope Francis urged people of good will to treasure God’s gifts to us:
“The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change. Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home. Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded.” (Laudato Si’, n. 13)
Let our hands work together as God’s hands:
“Forsake not the work of Your hands.”
August 2023-Joyful Gospel Living
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